October 2022

The Australian building industry is on the path to electrification, signalling an end to a reliance on natural gas for hot water, heating and cooking. Sean McGowan explores how this path is being forged with Bruce Precious M.AIRAH, principal consultant at Six Capitals Consulting; Yale Carden, M.AIRAH, founder and managing director at GeoExchange Australia; VA Sciences’ James Moyes and Simon Witts, M.AIRAH; and RMIT industry fellow Alan Pears. 

Using a hybrid of dynamic thermal simulation and detailed hourly spreadsheet calculations, the analysis identified design and operation strategies to size PV and batteries for various degrees of grid independence.

As part of the i-Hub project, masters-level architectural and engineering students from the University of Melbourne, industry consultants, university academics, and Ambulance Victoria staff embraced the challenge of designing net zero emergency response stations. The university’s Brendon McNiven; Lu Aye, F.AIRAH; and Dominik Holzer discuss

Located in South Korea’s capital, the HQ for a luxe fashion brand boasts several sustainability initiatives, including a high-performance façade.

Alan Obrart, L.AIRAH, wonders why the bottom line is so thin for those HVAC businesses that detect and fix difficult-to-resolve problems in buildings. He has a theory. 

As we face the unknown financial road ahead, it’s useful to people reflect on the most recent major economic downturn, the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of more than a decade ago. Officially spanning form late 2007 to mid-2009, it took several more years for employment and the economy to stabilise to previous levels. It is important for us to look at the business successes and failures from this challenging time, and to learn from them.

Mitsubishi Electric Australia has launched its newest mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system, designed to recover heat from the air inside a home and transfer it to fresh, dry air introduced from outside.

Ecolibrium shoots the breeze with the Newcastle-based CTO of Airconnect about life after CSIRO.

Congrats to Gwen Gray, AIRAH’s first female member when she joined and now a posthumous member of the ARBS Hall of Fame.

The major changes are the lifting of the minimum energy efficiency requirements for new homes from 6 to 7 NatHERS stars, and a new annual energy-use budget applicable to major appliances such as space conditioning, hot water, lighting, pool and spa pumps, offset by any onsite renewable energy generation.

GJ Walker announces new industrial fan division as Walker Industrial Systems (WIS)

After more than a year of supply-chain challenges, Reliable Controls has released an updated version of its popular MACH-ProView LCD controller.

We wish to make a correction and clarification regarding the “Arch of triumph” article that featured in August‑September Ecolibrium.

The GBCA has issued some practical advice about electrification of the existing building stock, writes Rachel Urquhart.